Hydraulic turbine



HYDRAULI C TURB INE Filed May 29, 194-4 5 Sheets-Sheet l v INVENTOR GEORGE A. BIGGS BY 95.4.4... aw

ATTORNEYS May 20, 1947. BIGGS 2,420,853

I HYDRAULIC TURBINE Filed May 29, 1944 5 7 2 INVENTOR GEORGE A. B1665 ATTORN EYS May 20, 1947. G. A. Bless 2,420,853

HYDRAULIC TURB INE Filed May 29, 1944 v s Sheet s-Sheet :5

INVENTOR GEORGE A. 31665 ATTORNEYS Patented May 20, 1947 HYDRAULIC TURBINE George A.- Biggs, "Springfield, Ohio, assig'nor to The James -Lefiel& 00., springfildyohio; a

ccrpcrationzofi Ohio ApplicationMzt'yZB, 1944, Serial No. 537,313

1r Claims; 1?-

Thisinvention relatesto hydraulic turbines of eithenthe'vertica-l or horizontal type that are adaptedfOr use with eitheropen or 'closed-fiumes.

An objector the inventionis to provide ahydraulic turbine"structureywh'ereim a .constant suppiy of" lubrication is provided for the turbine gate operatingthe mechanism, and whichiseals the turbine gate operatingmechanism from the influence of-the water surrounding the turbine.

Still another object of the inventionis to provide a hydraulicturbine. wherein the gate operating mechanism maybe more accuratelyxcontrolled to maintain constant speed of. rotation of the' turbine over varying load conditions by providing constant lubrication for the working part of the turbine. g atev operating mechanism tothereby' permit the. use of less clearance in the bear-ingsof, the various members'of the gate mechanism-so. as to reduce lost motion and thereby provide the more accurate regulation of the speed, of rotation of; the turbine.

Still another object of the invention is to provide'a'hydraulic turbine wherein the gate .operatingmechanism is sealed from the influence of the water; surroundingthe turbine, and. means is provided for readily lubricating, or adding lubricent" to, the chamber. in which the turbine gate operating mechanism is placed without necessitatingloweringof. the water level in the flume.

Still another object of the inventionristo providea hydraulic turbin wherein the gate operating,..mechanism of the turbineis lubricated by lubricant retained under pressure.

Stillanother object of the invention isto provide' a, hydraulic turbine in accordance with the foregoing object wherein the lubricant under pressure, used. for lubricating the working parts of the gate operating mechanism is also used to balance, or .at. least partially balance, the force applied upon the gates by the waterentering the turbine Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the drawings and the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a turbine, incorporating features of, this invention, mcuntedin. an open flume wherein the head of water is relatively shallow.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showinga turbine; incorporating features ofethis invention, mounted horizontally in an open flume wherein ther'head of water can varyover a considerably Wide range.

Figure 3" is a critical" cross-sectional View 2. through the hydraulic turbine of this invention;

Figure 4 is a horizontalcross-sectional view of the turbine taken substantially along -line; 4--4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 isan enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the support shaft for the gates of the hydraulic turbine;

FigureG is an enlarged cross-sectional view takenalonglin'e- 6-'-6 of Figure5 showing a lubricant passage for conductingilubricantadjacent the support shaft for a gate .of' the hydraulic turbine.

Figure 17 is across-sectional view taken along line l-'-'| of'Figure 51a1so indicating the location of a lubricant passage along the support shaft for agate .of the turbine for the purpose of'bal ancing the force of the water upon the gate...

. Figure 8 is a .diagrammaticview of a speed control for the turbine.

In the manufacture and use of hydraulic tux..- bines, the use.of.gates to. control theflow. ofwater into theirunner of the turbine. is conventional practice, but the. usual practice has also been. to merely leave, the operating. mechanism. for the gates, of the. turbine, opencand exposed to..the actiontof the water. surroundingrthe turbine. No special. eiiort hasebeen made to maintain lubricant. constantly aroundthe operating mechanism for the gatesiof the. turbine, or where such lubricationh'ashbeenattempted, no sealing or protective. meansv has. been. provided to prevent. the escape of the lubricant or preventiit from being contaminated with foreign, substances. In. the conventional practice, it has been necessaryto drain the waterfromsthe flume so as tomake theiturbinelaccessible in order to. lubricate the operating mechanismfor, the gates of the turbine. Proper lubricationof, existing turbines is therefore. frequently neglected and a high degree. of wear takes .place on. .the. working parts of the gate mechanism, greatly reducing its useful life.

In addition, as the. parts. of the gatemechanism wear, th'eren'aturally develops a greater amount oi lost motion in the mechanism which detracts fromv the accuracyof control over the gates and. thus inaccuracies of the speed oirotation. of the turbine develop.

In most. installations-the gateshaft. is. op.- eratedebyia. suitable. speed sensitive governor througheither direct connection to thegate shaft, orthroughith medium of a lever so that. the speed-ofrotation is automatically held practically constant at any .amount of power which the turpine is required. to deliver. Theamountof power which the turbine is required to produce israrely steady for any appreciable period of time. Load demands and changes of head require the turbine gates to be oscillated back and forth in varying amounts depending upon the power being developed, between small gate opening and gates fully opened, thereby causing friction in the bearings of the gate operating mechanism. Such oscillations or movements may be comparatively small or large, or at frequent or infrequent intervals of time. The change of 1%; gate opening in a minute or so would be considered small or slow, where of the gate opening change in one second would be considered large or rapid. These operating conditions vary in different installations. It is desirable to have the turbine maintain uniform speed under all conditions and of power output and in order to facilitate these most effectively, it is essential that the bearings and the journals of all the members of the turbine gate mechanism which are in sliding contact with each other be as free as possible from friction and without unnecessary lost motion. In existing turbines where these parts are directly exposed to the water, which in most cases carries silt or abrasive substances, wearing of the gate mechanism takes place rapidly and causes lost motion resulting in inaccurate maintenance of speed of rotation.

Where the operating mechanism is not lubricated satisfactorily or not at all as in existing turbines, greater bearing clearances must be provided than in a turbine of this invention because if constructed with clearances small enough to eliminate lost motion, the bearing surfaces will rust together especially if the turbine stands idle any appreciable length of time such as occurs in certain seasons of the year when there is insufficient water to operate, or from other causes.

When an existing turbine stands idle the clearance spaces of the bearings also become filled with silt or dirt, causing the gate mechanism to work hard.

Also, it will be quite apparent that considerable force is applied upon the gates of the turbine that causes the support or pivot shafts of the gates to continuously press or wear on one side of the bearings for the shafts. The result is to cause an uneven distribution of load upon the bearing for the shafts of the gates as a result of the continual movement of the pivot shafts on one side of the bearing. As the head of water utilized by the turbine is increased, the intensity of the wear caused by the pivot shafts is, of course, increased accordingly, thereby -developing unwanted lost motion in the bearings for the pivot shafts of the gates.

In this invention, the hydraulic turbine consists of a runner I 0 that is keyed to a drive shaft II and suitably secured thereto by the bolt 12. The drive shaft l I is suitably carried in the bear ing l3 secured to the crown plate M by means of the bolts 5. The drive shaft H is connected to a suitable apparatus for transmitting power.

The turbine is provided with the gates [6 that are positioned circumferentially around the inlet chamber ll provided for the runner I0, this chamher being formed between the crown plate l4 and the curb ring 18. The gates l6 are carried upon the pivot shafts l9 that extend between the crown plate I4 and the curb ring l8, the pivot shafts I!) being suitably operated by an operating mechanism hereinafter described, for controlling the position of the gates l6 and thereby regulate the water flow to the runner ID. The usual stay vanes 20 are provided for directing the water flow to the gates I6.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the turbine 25, heretofore described in general terms, is placed at the bottom of an open fiume having the bottom wall 2t, and side wall 27 and a floor 28. The water head, or water level, is indicated by the numeral 29 and is open to the atmosphere. The turbine 26 is provided 'with a draft tube 30 that enters the tail race 3|. The drive shaft II of the turbine 25 extends upwardly and is adapted to drive a current generating unit 32.

In Figure 1 the water head is relatively shallow and substantially constant, whereas in the illustration in Figure 2 the water head may be of any height even though the arrangement is of the open fiume type.

In the arrangement illustrated in Figure 2 the turbine 25 is illustrated as being mounted on a horizontal axis in contradistinction to the vertical axis arrangement of the turbine illustrated in Figure 1. The fiume for the turbine illustrated in Figure 2 is formed by the walls 33, 34 and 35, the turbine being mounted adjacent the opening 86 provided in the wall 34. The draft tube 31 extends into the tail race 38. The drive shaft ll of the turbine 25, as illustrated in Figure 2, extends horizontally and may be supported by a bearing 39.

Returning now to Figures 3 and 4, the gates lb of the hydraulic turbine are controlled by a gate operating mechanism 48 that is positioned above the crown plate I Each of the pivot shafts IQ for the gates I6 is provided with a lever arm secured to the upper end of the pivot shaft I9 by means of a split bearing arrangement secured to the shaft l9 by the nut and bolt lla. The lever arms 4| are each connected to the gate ring t2 by means of a link 43 pivoted to the lever arm 4! by the pivot pin 44 and to the gate ring by means of the pivot pin &5. The gate ring 42 is rotatably mounted in an annular recess 46a provided in the upper end of the crown plate [4.

Rotation of the gate ring 42 causes the link 43 and the lever arm 4| to rotate the gate shafts l9, and thus the gates I6, to regulate the opening and closing of the gates in response to a speed control mechanism, hereinafter described, to control the quantity of water entering the turbine and thus control the speed of the runner IE] in response to load requirements upon the turbine.

The gate ring 42 is rotated by means of a link 46 pivotally mounted to the gate ring 42 by the pivot pin 47, and pivctally connected to a lever arm 48 by'a pivot pin 59. The lever arm 48 is secured to an operating shaft 50 that extends upwardly from the turbine 25, and upon rotation thereof causes rotation of the gate ring 42 and thus angular adjustment of the gates [5.

The operating shaft 59, as illustrated in Figures l and 2, extends to a point outside the flume and connects to a governor 5! that is suitably regulated in response to any deviation from the normal speed of rotation of the drive shaft ll of the turbine 25.

As illustrated in Figure 8, the governor 51 is suitably operated from the drive shaft ll of the turbine 25 so that it will respond directly to the speed of rotation of the turbine, and may be of the conventional centrifugal type. The governor iii operate a pilot 4-way valve that supplies hydraulic fluid to the opposite ends of a control cylinder 53 through the hydraulic service lines 54 and 55 so as to oscillate the lever :56 secured to the operating shaft 56. A suitable fluid pump 51 has the second side thereof connected to a supply tank 58 and the pressure line connected to the 5; ix-way" valve.- 52 whereby tossupphiaeither of; the: service linese. 54: andij Erwith.fiuidrunderrzpressures An -.exhaust linezconnects the 4:-wayavalve:52r with the'xtank 581 The? governor'rarrangementa illustrated-in s Fig-1 urefi is. merelyione form one control mechanism f or. regulating": the gate *operatingmechanism: of: the turbine tow control: the? fiow of water in the turbine-q The; gate: operating mechanism Mir-consisting of l the gateringrawh and: the various links; :levers and .DiVOtSJfCII rotating the. shafted-9 f or thergates. Hi -is: loc'atedrini atchamben EUfOImedaabOVG the: crowrrplate: I 4' by ithe: closure plate 5 I-; that: is:se;- cured. to? the 1 CI'DWHZDIBAIB -l 4" by means of :the-rbolts 62 and is sealed: by the: gasket 1635 provided aloe-- tweenzthe' closure plate 6 I: and :the cnownplated t: The; operating. shaft :59? for: :thee gate-operating". mechanism; hereto; referredizitma extends: through aboss on'tthe-closureplate B1. Arsealmember B5 is .provided between the shaft'fiirand the boss- 64. to prevent leakage: of; fluid from within-the: chamber? 60.;

The chamber: 160 provided .betweenzrthei :closure plate 61 and the crown plate-*M-is 'filledi'withl lubricant. of. asuitablewgrade'ihrough the inlet tube 68; A'nyfai'r; within the chamber -6fl= is ex hausted through the" exhausttube tli- The-1ubricantrinlet tube '68 extends: to *the exterior of the: flume so. thatzitwillibe readily accessible: forsup-p plying lubricant into the lubricant chamber- E att any time. The"; exhaust tube 6'! alsoxextends" exteriorly' of- 'the -flume-L:

When filling the chamber? 611 with. lubricant; preferably oil of GOO-W grade when operating: under? pressure; the: oil" isrzsupplied through the inlet F tube" 65 "until 1 thez oili :di'schargesfrom the top ofztheexhausttuberfiig Thi insures accm plete: filling of thevlubricant chamber fiflz; By now' closing a suitable :valve. 6&- provided; ina'the-r exhaust tube 61' ands-adding a .alittlei-gextra 2011'? through: the inlet 311156? 56; f the: lubricant:- in the: chamber fiflrinayrbei placed-: under pressure-there in; a suitablevalve. tfi be'ing provided .orrthe'; in:-- let tubeitcv close thersamewhen thexlubricantiun der. pressure is to. be; 80113511861711! the: chamber: 5th;

order to:-reta in'- the lubricantzunden pressure: in i the chamber "itttaat all r times; a suitable 1 surge chamber 1 0 can-:be provided: lII'it'YlBi' inletcitube fifi 'z as illustrated r in Figure: 2; whereby: "air: under.- pressure. in: the surge: chamber: 'ifliwill maintain: the lubricant under pressure thereintandiinrther lubricant. chamber '60-. of :the turbine; Arsuitable inlet linezzand valve: l 'li-cambeprovided: for the: surge 'chambern'liin to supply rain'underrpres'sure into'thez same;

Returning: now to Figure: 3', it 1 williber quite ape. parent that: witlnthe lubricant chamber fiflrfilleda with lubricating. oil; that alleof" the: parts ofrthe: gate-operating:mechanism will be constantly op-- erating in: a body; of. lubricant, and. the :=1ubricant is": completelye sealedi. fromthe. I water .surround ing the turbine whereby the lubricant will reimain: indefinitelyrinrthe: chamber to perform. its purpose ofrlubricating thea parts; of =thewgate operating mechanism and cannot- .bew worked. away. from: the. parts by movement of: water around the/turbines I'n order towlubricate. the. lower bearing ofrthezpivot shafts; Mi ror the? gates i 6, which. are. journaled in; the. curbring; 1 8; :the** pivot. shafts *l 9' eachhave a passage? extending" longitudinally ttherethrough to: conduct lubricant. into the bearing, chamber for the: shafts. [91* provided in the? curb ringy l 81-. suitablewpressure oil: seals;v 13: ands] 4 arepmvicledabove andsbelowmhee gates 11 esinsthe brown .plate: and thezcurbzringi to prevent .iexcessivef loss: of: oil from. the r chamber 60:- around thezshaiftszl 9;

When; thexwaterxentersi'the turbinealfi; and: thus: flowsv. against/the gates? l6; considerable bearing ressure is? developed: between: the: gate sh'aftssr l 9 and". the'ibearings: for: the samewin. the crownrplate. -:l 4=and the: curbring i 8: To balance, onati-leastap'artially balance", the fo'rcerthus-dee veloped'; a;.gro'ove1 l5':isr providedaalong. one side of. the: gateu'shaft 19.? CHI the :curbring l 8 and a; similarwgroove l6- isrprovided iinuthe crown. plate.

l4 along the gate shaft l9. ceiveslubricant" under 1' pressure through. the

5 groomalflr-provideddnzthe upperfacaofxthe crown" plate 1'4 while the? groove Pi -receives; lubricant: underapressure frcmxthez bearings-chamber '19: provided'intthescurb ring ISu Thengrooves T51 andus'lt are: placed' along the:

. gat'etshafts' 'hiron-r therside' thereof opposite :to:-

thatiagainst which the force ofithe water enter? ingfzther'turbine is. applied so: that: the& forceof 1 the". lubricant; under pressure "tendsto move the: gate.- shafts'; .I 'l111-3idi1'0ti01'1 opposite to. that: oc-' casionediby" the force: of: the: water applied upona thergatesz: Hi3" and thereby: balance this forcepi Al'so; the:aforesaidlocation of. the grooves- 15 andrliii provi'de's for maximum lubrication on the' bearinguside'i of the. g ate shafts: l9 .whereon they support: the: greatest *10adrt0" therebyr minimize: the. amountiof: wear on .%the shafts-19: or their: ase sociated bearings;

While. the apparatuswdisclos'ed 'andi described hereintconstitutesa preferable form of the invention; yet i the: 1 apparatus: is -capab1eaoaltera- V ti-onwith u departing. from the-spirit orthein vention, and all modificationsrthat fall'within: the scope of. the appendedclaims-tareintended :to beincluded -hereinr Havingthus -.fully describedmy invention, what I-.. claim; as new and desire to 1 secure by. Letters Patent-is:

1 In :combination; a hydraulic turbinei having gate means: controlling: waterflow through: theturbineand! gate-operating mechanism for. controllingnoperation of the: gate. means: and mounted: in r a 'flume, :means forming -a closed: chamber aroundrthe gate operating. mechanism :to. seal-A the gate operating; mechanism from-thewater asv surrounding; the turbineand, the -ene1osure,-conduit m'eansextendinggfrom-r the exterior of the". fiume-in which'ztheturbine is: mounted and connected to said: chamber for conducting lubricant to said chamber for-.- filling-t thesame; and i a sec 0nd conduit means-connected-tosaid chamber" ing means-for. saidlsh'aft means; ,atg-a-tebper-ating mechanism operably connected: to said shaft. means-.for rota-ting; thega'temeans; means forming a 1 closed chamberinr which said gate operatingr mechanism: is received to. prevent: contact thereof: with: water-surrounding. the; turbine: and

theenclosurerpassage means through said shaft means: interconnecting: .said chamber? with :the-

bearing meanis fonthen shaft means. that is. re-

The groove'16fre--' is mounted and connected to said chamber for conducting lubricant to the chamber and place lubricant therein under pressure and thereby lubricate said gate operating mechanism and the bearing means for said shaft means, seal means adjacent the bearing means for the shaft means to prevent loss of lubricant from said chamber, and means connected to said chamber and extending to the exterior of the flume in which the turbine is mounted for exhausting gaseous substances from said chamber whereby to permit complete filling of said chamber with lubricant under pressure.

3. In combination in a hydraulic turbine, gate means in said turbine for controlling waterflow through the same, shaft means for rotatably supporting said gate means, bearing means for said shaft means, a gate operating mechanism operably connected to said shaft means for rotating the gate means, means forming a closed chamher in which said gate operating mechanism is received to prevent contact thereof with water surrounding the turbine and the chamber when mounted in a flume, passage means through said shaft means interconnecting said chamber with the bearing means for the shaft means that is remote from the chamber, port means in said chamber through which lubricant is conducted into the chamber to lubricate said gate operating mechanism and the bearing means for said shaft means, port means in said chamber for exhausting fluid from said chamber whereby to permit complete filling of said chamber with lubricant, seal means adjacent the bearing means for the shaft means to prevent loss of lubricant from said chamber, and means for holding lubricant under pressure in said chamber.

4. In combination, a hydraulic turbine mounted in a flume, gate means in said turbine for controlling waterflow through the same, shaft means for rotatably supporting said gate means, bearing means for said shaft means, a gate operating mechanism operably connected to said shaft means for rotating the gate means, means forming a closed chamber in which said gate operating mechanism is received to prevent contact thereof with water surrounding the turbine and the chamber, passage means through said shaft means interconnecting said chamber with the bearing means for the shaft means that is remote from the chamber, means extending from the exterior of the flume in which the turbine is mounted and connected to said chamber for conducting lubricant to the chamber and place lubricant therein under pressure and thereby lubricate said gate operating mechanism and the bearing means for said shaft means, seal means adjacent the bearing means for the shaft means to prevent loss of lubricant from said chamber, means connected to said chamber and extending to the exterior of the flume in which the turbine is mounted for exhausting gaseous substances from said chamber whereby to permit complete filling of said chamber with lubricant under pressure, and means for holding lubricant under pressure in said chamber.

5. In a hydraulic turbine the combination of, gate means for controlling waterfiow through the turbine, shaft means rotatably supporting said gate means, bearing means for said shaft means, a gate operating mechanism operably connected to said shaft means for rotating said gate means, means forming an enclosure for said gate operating mechanism containing lubricant under pressure, passage means extending longitudinally along said shaft means between said shaft means and the bearing means for the same positioned adjacent the side of the shaft means opposite to the direction of force applied upon said gate means by water entering the turbine through the gate means, and passage means connecting said first mentioned passage means with said enclosure whereby lubricant under pressure is conducted into said first-mentioned passage means to apply the force thereof in opposite direction to that applied by the water upon said gate means.

6. In a hydraulic turbine the combination of, gate means for controlling waterfiow through the turbine, shaft means rotatably supporting said gate means, bearing means for said shaft means, a gate operating mechanism operably connected to said shaft means for rotating said gate means, means forming an enclosure for said gate operating mechanism containing lubricant under pressure, and means for conducting lubricant under pressure to between said shaft means and the bearing means for the same on the side thereof against which said shaft means is forced by the action of water upon said gate means to thereby balance the same.

7. In a hydraulic turbine the combination of, gate means for controlling waterflow through the turbine, shaft means rotatably supporting said gate means, bearing means for said shaft means, and means for conducting lubricant under pressure to between said shaft means and said bearing means on the side thereof against which said shaft means is forced by the action of the water on the gate means to thereby balance the force so applied.

8. In a hydraulic turbine the combination of, gate means for controlling waterfiow through the turbine, shaft means rotatably supporting said gate means, bearing means for said shaft means, means for conducting lubricant under pressure to between said shaft means and said bearing means on the side thereof against which said shaft means is forced by the action of the water on the gate means to thereby balance the force so applied, a gate operating mechanism positioned upon said turbine, means forming with the turbine an enclosure for the gate operating mechanism to receive lubricant under pressure, and means connecting said lubricant conducting means between said shaft and said bearing means with said enclosure to conduct lubricant therefrom thereto.

9. In combination, a hydraulic turbine having gate means controlling waterflow through the turbine and gate-operating mechanism for controlling operation of the gate means and adapted to be mounted in a flume, means forming a closed chamber around the gate-operating mechanism to seal the gate-operating mechanism from the water surrounding the turbine when it is mounted in a flume, port means in said chamber forming means through which lubricant is supplied to said chamber for filling the same, and a second port means in said chamber forming means through which any gaseous substance within the chamber is exhausted from the chamber to permit lubricant entering the chamber through the first-mentioned port means to fill the chamber.

10. In a hydraulic turbine adapted for mounting in a flume the combination of, gate means for controlling waterfiow through the turbine and gate-operating mechanism for operating the gate means consisting of a speed ring and lever means operably connecting the speed ring to the gate means, means forming a closure enclosing said 9 speed ring and said lever means to seal the sam from Water around the turbine and adapted to be filled with lubricant forlubricating said gateoperating mechanism, conduit means connected to said closure and extending therefrom to a position remotely located from said closure for conducting lubricant to said closure from a position remotely located from the closure and for exhausting fluid therefrom, and means for retaining lubricant in said chamber under pressure.

11. In a hydraulic turbine the combination of, turbine housing means, gate means positioned within said turbine housing to control waterflow therethrough, shaft means rotatably supporting said gate means in said housing, bearing means in said housing at opposite ends of said shaft means for supporting the same in said housing, a gate operating mechanism disposed on one side of said housing and operably connected to said shaft means for controlling movements of said gate means, wall means cooperating with said housing for forming a chamber to receive said mechanism and enclosing the same to prevent water around the turbine from contacting said mechanism, conduit means connected to said wall 25 means and extending to a position remotely located from said wall means for conducting lu- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 921,950 Cassel May 18, 1909 1,570,536 Syvertsen Jan. 19, 1926 1,957,183 Schmitthenner May 1, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 7 88,622 Switzerland Sept. 1, 1921 

